This invention provides a low cost means for achieving affordable solar energy by greatly reducing the cost of solar concentrators which increase (concentrate) the density of solar energy incident on the solar energy converter. A limiting factor in the utilization of solar energy is the high cost of energy converters such as photovoltaic cells. For example, for the purpose of generating electricity, a large area of expensive solar cells may be replaced by a small area of high-grade photovoltaic solar cells operating in conjunction with the inexpensive intelligent mini-optics of this invention. Thus the instant invention can contribute to the goal of achieving environmentally clean energy on a large enough scale to be competitive with conventional energy sources.
Since this invention achieves macroscopic coherent effects by the reflecting mirrors on a microscopic scale, an appropriate name appears to be the Coherent-Micro-Macro-Collector system or simply the acronym CMMC. This term will be used where appropriate in this specification. As used herein (cf. to the Definitions section below) and in prevalent usage, the word Collector commonly refers to the combined system of Concentrator and Receiver.
This invention is less expensive than conventional solar photovoltaic systems for three reasons. First due to miniaturization, the amount of material needed for the concentrating optical system is much less. Second, because the CMMC is light-weight and flexible in geometry, it can easily be attached directly on top of the ground or existing structures. Third because the array of mirrors is micro-miniaturized, tracking the sun is greatly simplified and much less costly compared with conventional tracking concentrators. This is a great economic advantage over all existing solar concentrators which require the construction of a huge separate structure to support them, and a large guidance system with expensive motors and gears to orient them in order to intercept and properly reflect sunlight. Such separate structures must be able to survive gusts, windstorms, earthquakes, etc. The instant invention utilizes the ground directly or existing structures which are already capable of withstanding such inclement vicissitudes of nature.